20 Things You Didn't Know About Charlize Theron
12. Monster Changed Everything
After landing a success with the U.S. remake of The Italian Job, she put some of the money she'd made and invested it in her next project: a biopic of the female serial killer Aileen Wournos called Monster, which she produced.
Award shows took notice, as they are wont to do when an attractive actress takes on a role that requires her to ugly it up (Monster is one of the primary examples of this phenomenon, even Arrested Development took a shot at it in an in-joke). In 2004, she won the Oscar, SAG and Golden Globe for Best Actress.
After the win, she took her Oscar home to South Africa to celebrate, which put in her in the same room as political prisoner, activist and former President Nelson Mandela. He made her the guest of honour at the 2004 Nelson Mandela Foundation, and made the actress burst into tears when he thanked her for putting their country on the map.